I grew up in St. Louis, home of the Cardinals. Going to a baseball game at Busch Stadium each summer is a must! While it may be 98 degrees with 100 percent humidity, there’s nothing quite like cheering for your home team with thousands of people. And the best part? The fireworks when they strike a home run and the food! Can you even go to a baseball game without getting a giant soft pretzel?

Well, if you can’t make it to a baseball game, you can at least still enjoy a warm soft pretzel. Making pretzels is so much fun! There’s just something about cooking with yeast that is magical, hello cinnamon rolls! And rolling out soft squishy dough is as much fun as playing with play dough. In fact, I cut off a few pieces for my 2 and 4 year old to play with (and distract them) while I shaped the pretzels. They of course made a huge mess but seeing them so happy and having fun is more than worth the clean up.

Like any yeast dough you start these soft pretzels by activating the yeast in water with a bit of sugar. I added a little more than typical and used brown sugar to give it a little more depth. Then you mix in the flour and a bit of melted butter and knead the dough. I highly recommend getting a dough hook for you electric mixer if you don’t already have one as it saves you lots of time and energy. Plus, you can get a few dishes clean or break up a fight between your kids while the machine is doing all the work. After kneading, cover the dough with a towel and let it rise. Then you roll out the dough and form into a pretzel.

This next part is what makes pretzels, well, pretzels! You take your shaped dough and drop it into a pot of boiling water with baking soda for just 30 seconds. Boiling the dough in this alkaline solution is what helps the bread develop that deep dark crust and gives it that signature flavor. I have no doubt you and your family with love these salty, chewy pretzels. Enjoy!

Here are a few more fair and ball game recipes for you to enjoy:

Funnel Cakes by Garnish & Glaze Corn Dogs by Dessert Now Dinner Later Beef Nachos by Mexican Please Beer and Bacon Dip by Recipe Girl